Exclusive fragrances, precious flacons…

Published May 31st, 2010 - 10:11 GMT

At Beauty World Dubai, make sure you do not miss the return of a perfumery of yesteryear, when fragrances and luxury were one. Parfums MDCI claim a specific place on the niche brand market. They were first noticed in the United States for their flacons, intended for a clientele of collectors.

With their innovative, yet classically-inclined aesthetics, the flacons shatter the codes of contemporary perfumery, reaching out towards a more precious, sensitive style: here luxury symbolises timeless beauty, both masculine and feminine. The male bust exudes a feeling of power and authenticity, while the female bust expresses softness and delicacy.

Genuine works of art, the initial crystal flacons were made piece by piece – every “bust-stopper”, made by lost-wax casting, was a unique piece requiring a kind of know-how that is virtually unobtainable. Those flacons were not long in finding a place among the world’s greatest collections.

Nowadays, the range is completed by new spray flacons, featuring stoppers made of hard-paste porcelain or bisque and of very fine workmanship. They are the only ones of their kind on the market, and what’s more, they can be refilled.

The packaging, wholly lined with genuine silk, is also handmade in France.

As for the fragrances themselves, refined and exclusive, they are designed by major creators who have enjoyed total freedom regarding their composition and the cost of the formulae.

Thus two leading perfumers among the most talented, and acknowledged throughout the world, were given “carte blanche”:

- Pierre Bourdon, a world-renowned nose (YSL, Dior, etc.), created the following fragrances for ladies: “Promesse de l’Aube”, a refined, classic Oriental floral, “Rose de Siwa”, a woody floral, and “Enlèvement au Sérail”, an Oriental floral that was instantly hailed as a new “great French classic”. “Ambre Topkapi”, a fresh, precious spicy woody fragrance, will suit the gentlemen.

- Francis Kurkdjian, one of the most gifted among creative perfumers, designed the first three Eaux de Parfum in MDCI’s ladies’ range.

Other renowned perfumers have joined them: they include, coming from Robertet, Amandine Marie (who created “Péché Cardinal”, a flowery and fruity fragrance), Patricia de Nicolaï (Director of the Osmothèque de Versailles, who agreed to design two flowery fragrances, the one Oriental, “Le Rivage des Syrtes” and the other green, “Un Cœur en Mai”), and Jeanne-Marie Faugier (who was behind “Vêpres Siciliennes”, a fruity green Cyprus).

With her “Invasion Barbare”, Stéphanie Bakouche has designed a spicy, aromatic Oriental fern for gentlemen. It has been described as “one of the best three fragrances of its kind.”

The Middle East is potentially a substantial market for MDCI, even though the company, intent on maintaining the brand’s truly exclusive character, is only seeking very few new points of sale.

At this time, the brand is available in about a dozen countries outside of France (United States, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine). There are developments underway in Taiwan, Japan and Italy.